


Sea-gazing

by Rosie_Rues



Series: The Rising Storm [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 1972, Community: dogdaysofsummer, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-07-07
Updated: 2006-07-07
Packaged: 2017-10-22 19:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/241518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie_Rues/pseuds/Rosie_Rues
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bournemouth beach, 1972. 684 words</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sea-gazing

Remus, up to his waist in the sea, can feel the sand trickling away between his toes. Every wave that washes against him is a little cold shock, and the sun prickles warmly on his back. He looks out to sea, breathing in the salt-sharp air and watching the shadows of the clouds change the hue of the water.

There’s a thump of feet behind him, and Sirius splashes into the water, panting.

“What you doing? Why are you just standing here? Did you lose your trunks?”

Remus gives him a slightly frosty look. It isn’t his fault his trunks have to be tied on with an extra bit of elastic every morning. _They’re to grow into,_ his dad had said.

“No,” he says, and stands on tiptoe to prove it.

“Then what you doing? We’re digging a really big hole, and we’re going to bury Peter in it. Head first.” He rocks back, splashing a little. There’s sand caked all over his torso, and his hair hangs in salty clumps. He’s wearing a pair of cutoff trousers so old and ragged that the patches have patches.

(He arrived at the Potters on the first day of the hols, pale and miserable, despatched alone through the Floo. His mother had provided him with an antique swimming costume, snake green, moth eaten and emblazoned with the house crest. Mrs Potter took one look at his mutinous face and started hunting through her rag bag)

“Is Peter happy about that?” Remus asks dubiously.

“Says he doesn’t mind as long as we buy him ice cream afterwards.”

Remus considers it. “That’s stupid. If you bury him head down, he’ll be dead, and then he won’t be able to eat ice cream.”

“Don’t tell me it’s stupid,” Sirius snaps, splashing him. “Pete thought of it.”

His friends are all completely and utterly peculiar, Remus thinks happily. He loves it.

“What you _doing_ , Remus?”

“I’m looking at the sea.”

“Right.” Sirius plants his feet firmly, and squints out across the water. “Why?”

“Because it’s there,” says Remus.

“Umm.” Sirius falls silent, frowning silently. Remus goes back to gazing at the blue horizon.

“Remus?”

“Yes?”

“What, precisely, are we looking for? Sharks?”

“You don’t get sharks at Bournemouth,” Remus says, before Sirius Get Ideas. Sirius is unnervingly good at Getting Ideas.

“Are you positively, absolutely certain? A hundred and seven percent certain?”

“Infinity percent.”

“Then what are we looking for?”

“We’re just looking,” Remus says, frustrated. “At all of it.”

“Right.”

He goes back to looking at the water, though it’s hard to concentrate with Sirius fidgeting beside him. It’s nice here, miles from home, on a beach with sand instead of pebbles. He misses his dad, of course, and his mum (though he’s been missing her for years). He knows it easier for them if he stays with the Potters, though. It’s the busy season at the B and B and he’s too young to help. Better he stays out of their way, ‘specially if Mum’s having one of her bad spells.

It’s pretty good, this, camping out with the Potters and the others. He doesn’t usually get summer holidays and-

“Remus.”

“What?”

“I’ve looked at it all. What are we going to do now?”

“Look at it again,” Remus says.

Sirius sighs, a heave of breath, and pokes him in the ribs. “Why’re you so skinny?”

“Because I am.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“ _Why?_ ” Poke, poke, poke goes his finger against Remus’ sun-scorched side.

“Because,” Remus says automatically and slaps his hand away.

“Oy! Oy, you two prats! What are you doing?”

James is standing on the shore, nose peeling, hair on end, plastic spade slung over his shoulder.

“We’re looking at the sea,” Sirius says, tossing his hair.

Remus can see the look of incredulous disgust on James’ face and feels his stomach shrivel with dismay as James declares, “You’re bonkers, you two.”

“You got a problem with that, Potter?” Sirius demands belligerently.

“I’ve got a problem with your face, Black!”

Remus leaves them to fight and smiles to himself, curling his toes into the sand below the water.


End file.
